Monday, August 20, 2007

NASCAR Loses To Little League World Series

When we decided to start this media project called The Daly Planet back in January of this year, we did so for one reason. ESPN was coming back into NASCAR, and we knew things would get interesting.

As a former ten year ESPN employee, I understand just how hard it is to take a huge sport like NASCAR, and fold it into an existing TV network. To help with this logistical problem, ESPN decided to use ESPN2, ESPN, and ABC Sports as the three TV outlets for NASCAR in 2007. What we are rapidly finding out is...that is not enough.

Earlier this season, ESPN2's daily motorsports show called NASCAR Now ran into some Friday problems. Live tennis matches had gone long, and NASCAR Now was either started late or completely cancelled. ESPN had the option of switching NASCAR Now to either their ESPN Classic or ESPN News Network, but chose not to make that move.

That was then, and this is now. Saturday, live tennis ran long again on ESPN2 and the company scrambled to air the pre-race show called NASCAR Countdown and then the following live Busch Series race. The Keystone Cops act that followed was priceless.

The NASCAR programming was started on ESPN Classic, switched to ESPN, and then finally switched back to ESPN2 for the remainder of the race. This is not the ESPN we know and love, the professional and prepared organization. The problem holding everyone up was a national tournament on the main ESPN network. The National School Scrabble Tournament. Say it with me, scrabble.

So, rather than just start the NASCAR programming on ESPN and continue there until tennis was over on ESPN2, the network made a strong statement about how much they value NASCAR and live Busch Series racing. They moved it to ESPN Classic, a limited distribution network that re-runs old tapes from the ESPN Library. ESPN chose scrabble over NASCAR.

Sunday, ESPN continued to be in trouble when the entire NEXTEL Cup race from Michigan was rained-out. While the Busch Series races have aired on mostly ESPN2, the seventeen NEXTEL Cup races are the prized jewels in the ESPN crown, and the reason they went back in and got the NASCAR TV contract. This rain out left the network to air the Monday afternoon NEXTEL Cup race live from noon through about 3PM Eastern Time.

Unfortunately, NASCAR was about to get another lesson in ESPN's priorities. Because of a single rain out, NASCAR was actually moved to ESPN2 in order to protect the programming on ESPN. That would be the a live Little League World Series game between Japan and Canada. This is game number fifteen out of thirty-two that make up the tournament that runs through next week.

The decision boils down to moving one Little League game over to ESPN2, or moving NASCAR off ESPN and back down to little sister network ESPN2. Needless to say, in the global world of ESPN, NASCAR will be seen on ESPN2.

While the network absolutely has the right to show any program anywhere it wants, that is not the point of this column. The issue is what does NASCAR really mean to ESPN, and when will we see that commitment?

ESPN already gave away practice and qualifying live to SPEED for the next several weeks because of existing programming conflicts. Now, a huge race at Michigan that is key to the point contenders and may deeply affect the upcoming "Chase" on ABC Sports is playing second fiddle to Japan vs. Canada.

In just a short while, the sports world will welcome both college and NFL football back into regular season. This, along with golf, tennis, and other previously scheduled live events should lead ESPN down a road they have not traveled for several years.

Golf, tennis, and NASCAR are the events that do not have a shot clock, timed quarters, or any formal time limit at all. In TV land, they are "nightmare sports" because nothing can make them end in any kind of time frame.

The official ESPN release about Monday does not specify if there will be a one hour pre-race show, but I have a hunch there will not. SPEED has already made the commitment to stay, and telecast a one hour RaceDay show on Monday live at noon. This is the kind of commitment fans would like to see from ESPN, as they make their way toward "The Chase."

The final ten NEXTEL Cup races will be on ABC Sports, which means both ESPN and ESPN2 will have a full programming schedule for those days. The ABC Broadcast Network may find itself in a quite a pickle as rain-delayed "Chase" races last into the night under the lights. You know NASCAR, if they can get it in, they will.

This should bring a whole new level of chaos to both ESPN and ABC in just a couple of weeks. Broadcast networks have "windows" of time for sports, and then either the News or Entertainment Divisions have their programming shown. There is little mercy for sports issues when World News Tonight, Extreme Home Makeover, or Desperate Housewives is ready to air.

Hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate, and the remainder of the NASCAR season will be smooth sailing for ESPN and ABC. If, however, the same situations occur, it will be interesting to watch the multi-network company deal with the tricky logistics and flexible schedules of NASCAR. It might be a good idea to memorize the location of ESPN Classic on your cable dial...just in case.

The Daly Planet welcomes comments from readers. Simply click on the COMMENTS button below, or email editor@thedalyplanet.tv if you wish not to be published. Thanks again for taking the time to stop-by and leave your opinion.

If the Scrabble event was already on, why move it for NASCAR? I know it's just Scrabble, but why move two programs (Nascar AND Scrabble) when they could just move NASCAR? The same goes for tomorrow. Isn't it just easier to replace whatever is on ESPN2 with the NASCAR race rather than move the Little League and pre-empt programming?

That being said, a lot goes into a live broadcast of any event. ESPN already has to book new satellite times, rework their transmission for the day just for NASCAR. Why in the world would you give yourself double the work by doing the same thing with Little League. Don't forget, double the work means double the cost. Also, just look at what goes into an ESPN telecast. They have ESPN branding everywhere. That means all of their graphics say ESPN and not ESPN2. They need to load an entirely different package to get the ESPN2 branded look on the air. If they have to go through all of that already for NASCAR, why go through the same thing for the LLWS as well?

I actually didn't have a problem with the way the Busch race was handled. Say what you want, but the Busch Series is NASCAR's minor leagues. Much like AAA baseball, the big boys play there to hone their skills for the big show, and the wannabes work their butts off to try to get there. You complain so much about the way ESPN handles the Busch Series, yet you should be thankful it's on in the first place. I don't see them showing highlights of AAA Baseball, AHL Hockey, or NBADL Basketball games. Sure they do a reality show on teh NBADL, but they don't actually do live telecasts of games. The same goes with qualifying and practice. Don't you think it's asking a lot to see all that. Before the Sunday Night Baseball game, do they air the players doing wind sprints, and batting practice. Do they air the pregame bullpen session?

Also, it's not like they didn't tell you where the race was. For all the love everyone gives Speed, no one ever complains that it's a pay channel in most markets. If I want to get Speed, I also have to subscribe to Fox Soccer, the Fox College Network, some weird outdoor channel, and CSTV. And this is with Comcast. Seriously, if Speed covers something, but no one gets the station, does it really matter. Obviously there are many who get the channel, but casual fans aren't going to cough up the money to get a package of 6 channels, 5 of which they'd never watch. We should be thankful that ESPN has these networks to use at their disposal. I was at least able to see on the bottom of the screen where the Busch race was, and was able to tune in to that channel. If this were any other network, you'd get nothing. Imagine if it were TNT? Where would they send the race? Certainly not TBS They'd end up showing it delayed while waiting for their event to end. What if it were, gasp, Versus??? Or say FX? Would they then bump it to the Fox Soccer Channel, or the Fox College Channel?

Little League represents everything that is right with sports today. Kids playing simply for the love of the game. Some of those kids are getting their one chance to be in the spotlight in their life. Hey, why not right? I'd much prefer to watch these kids play for the love of the game, than watch a sport where the most important thing a player(driver) will do all day is make sure he gets all of his sponsors' names in when he gives his post-race interview. Once every year, ESPN shows sports in all of its innocence via the LLWS. ESPN is doing the right thing here by leaving these kids on ESPN and not bumping them.

Quick scoop. The reason ESPN chose to move the race to ESPN2 is because of the weather. Apparently, there is only a small window in which to get this race in tomorrow, and NASCAR doesn't really think it's going to get this race in tomorrow. Tuesday looks more likely, and as was mentioned today, if not Tuesday, then it will be the last race of the Chase in November.

So had ESPN moved Little League for the race, and the race gets cancelled, they'd probably end up putting whatever was going to be on ESPN2 in the first place, back on, while moving the Little League game. Seems like it just makes more sense to move the race to ESPN2, especially if it's likely not going to happen anyway because of the rain.

Also note that it's not really that big of a difference in viewers between ESPN and ESPN2. I read that 97% of people who get ESPN get ESPN2, so the few who don't get it should probably be complaining about it to their cable operator.

Somewhat more significant is the difference between people who get ESPNHD and ESPN2HD. I only get the former, but not the latter (though my cable co. has promised that we'll get it here Sep. 12th). However, I'm still not particularly bothered by that. If it had to be dumped off the ESPN Classic in its entirety I'd be worried, but with ESPN2 only the tiniest amount smaller than the mothership, I think it's a non-issue.

I'm just SO grateful that Nascar signed this big money V deal so that we fans would always know hwere to find the races on the weekend! Thank goodness that we no longer have to go remote cruising all over the channels to find where the race is being shown!

Hey, other Anon, if the Busch series is "minor league," perhaps you could explain why half the field was made up of Cup drivers. (Were they "sent down"?) What's CTS, then? Would ARCA, which runs used Cup cars, not be "minor league"?

If you didn't have a problem with how ESPN "handled" it, then (a) You must get all their channels, including ESPN Classic, which a lot of folks don't, and (b) You must not have been TiVoing the race.

I don't care what station they show it on, as long as they show it. Also, I wouldn't care if there were NO commentators at all. What I am concerned about is how unfair it would be to Homestead to NOT have the final races. It probably really doesn't matter, but it just doesn't seem right.

ESPN has the long standing policy of ALWAYS showing the end of a live sporting event, not matter how minor how minor the competition may seem to be be to some viewers. Yes, this does include those sports such as tennis, bowling, soccer, auto racing, etc. We all should be very thankful for that. Those sports have fans as well that follow it as passionately as people that follow NASCAR. They may not be as large in numbers, but ESPN does not descriminate against that and deserve as much respect as a fan of any other sport who wants to see a conclusion live. Rest assured, this will be unchanged when college football season starts.

While I agree moving a pre-race show to ESPN Classic when ESPN was available may have been a bit short sided, however, that is normally the first channel they choose. Plus, it was a pre-race show. Give me a break!! They still aried it. They could have very easily just not shown it.

When it appeared tennis may not end for the start of the race, they made ESPN HD available, as well as showing it on ESPN2 HD once tennis ended. At the top of the house, they continued on with normal ESPN programming, with the race on ESPN2. Again, this seems VERY reasonable to me.

Remember, ESPN is a sports network, that shows live sporting events, which may run long. No matter on how much you want them to be, they are NOT a NASCAR network!!! Likewise, they are not an NFL network, an NBA network, a MLB network, a tennis network, a soccer network, etc. When events run long, they make reasonable arrangements, like they did last Saturday.

And as far as the race on Monday, they are making the best of a bad sitation. The LLWS had already been scheduled to air live on ESPN. Moving them would be no different than moving Bristol this Saturday to make room for a rugby match.

NASCAR does not run ESPN. Its just one of many sports it airs. It does not take priority over anything else. You better get over it and get used to it. For the good of all sports fans, that will not and should not change.

I am watching the Monday edition of RaceDay right now and just thought I would flip to the ESPN channels and see if they were having a pre-race show..... ESPN has Sportscenter, ESPN2 has First Take and Little League Baseball, and, what do you know - there on ESPN Classic it says Nascar Racing from Michigan. It looks like it began a while ago and they are replaying the Watkins Glen race (again). Wonder what the rest of the day holds......

John,What is your obession / inferiority complex with NASCAR being lumped into "stick and ball" sports. A sport is a sport period.I have yet to see you explain what the big freakin difference is and why auto racing should be treated any different than the rest of them.

I'm sure if you talk with soccer fans, gymnastics fans, track & field fans, swimming fans, pick your minor sports fans, they'd complain that ESPN does not give them the coverage they deserve. Plus, they are not happy with the broadcast team ESPN uses to cover their sports, whether there is a ball involved or not!

If anything, ESPN has a problem with all minor sports. They may try hard, but can't quite get it right to satisfy anyone other than the casual sports fan.

To the person who commented on ESPN Classic having "Nextel Cup Racing at Michigan" this morning: ESPN Classic has been showing replays of Cup Series races at 9AM ET Mondays since Indianapolis, so it's a replay slot, not where the delayed race was supposed to start.

Mr. Daly you are right that the race should be on ESPN if it's really important to the network. If Monday Night Football was postponed by lightning or some serious problem until Tuesday do you think it would end up on "The Deuce" (the old nickname for ESPN2 for those that are unfamiliar)? I certainly don't.

Having said that, I don't mind what station ESPN puts the race on as long as:

A.) it's aired live in its entiretyB.) it stays on ONE CHANNEL the whole timeC.) it's on a channel that I receive

It's probably not so much about Little League Baseball (a different game was supposed to be on ESPN2 at the same time and it's getting pre-empted) as it is Around the Horn, PTI, Sportscenter, and Monday Night Football. If it rains most of the day on Monday and they had scheduled the race to be on ESPN, they would probably shove it over to ESPN2 once 5:00 hit (and screwed over the people that weren't home and had to record the race) so I'm okay with leaving it on ESPN2 all day long since there's no meaningful program on that channel all day.

I feel sorry for those people that get ESPN but not ESPN2 (are there still places out there that get one but not the other?) but I'm okay with the decision because we should never face a pre-emption or channel shift on ESPN2 if the race runs long into the evening (how long does daylight last in Michigan this time of year, 7:00 local, or 8:00 Eastern?)

If you want to go back and read some archive articles, you would understand completely why this stick-and-ball issue is a big one.

As I mentioned many times, I am a Redskins fan, a Florida Marlins fan, and a college football fan. The issue is not being upset with stick-and-ball sports, it is that NASCAR is constantly compared to them.

Racing is different, it has different rules, and needs different things from TV than the NFL, the NBA, or MLB.

Even from your post, you compare NASCAR to minor sports. Where ya been? Nothing is bigger or more successful right now even with its flat TV ratings.

The idea of NASCAR coming to ESPN was to be a featured sport, and fully intergrated into the network in every way. That was actually in the ESPN Press Release. NASCAR was coming to the network to be the big boy in the house...period.

The simple reason? The NFL Network, the NBA Network, the Tennis Channel, the Golf Channel, and the continued migration of sports to their own stand-alone cable networks. NASCAR does not have one.

NASCAR comitted to ESPN for eight years with its highest profile product during its stretch run. It also gave all its second-tier racing, and the rights to create a daily show to ESPN.

It did not come to ESPN for NASCAR Now to get cancelled by live tennis. Show NASCAR Now somewhere else. It did not come to ESPN to lose out to scrabble. Put the race on the network and put scrabble on hold. What ESPN sold, and what it is now delivering are very different.

My point is now that college football is starting, the Busch Series and college football are going to head-to-head. ESPN will have a college football game live at noon, then Countdown at 3PM and the race at 3:30PM. With most college football games going almost four hours, it should be interesting.

Hopefully, things will be planned out to deal with that issue when it happens in September.

Here's the problem with ESPN. Yeah, they are not a NASCAR station or a football station or a Scrabble station I get it! That is the problem. Let me explain. They air everything and anything as long as it may be considered a "sport" somewhere. Scrabble? Poker? Spelling Bee? Oh yeah the kids. Hey my kids play sports too but they don't get on ESPN.

At least Speed or Fox dedicates their programming to NASCAR for that X amount of hours on the same channel. They schedule other programming around that event. ESPN does the same thing for ball games but not for NASCAR.

And for anyone that says NASCAR is not a sport you are right. NASCAR is a lifestyle. You live it you breath it, you are a part of it. Most fans spend the weekend at the tracks and when they can't they want to watch the pre race shows and get all they can out of it. Which is why ESPN is not the right channel for NASCAR.

John, you are right not to try and explain this to this person. Let them read the archives. It all speaks for itself.

My hometown is in the LLWS and it is a blast to watch but why does it have to be on ESPN? This could easily be shown on local station affiliates of ABC or even Fox could've gotten it and put it on their State stations.

Also I DO NOT CONSIDER BINGO, POKER, SCRABBLE or SPELLING BEES (???????????) SPORTS.

If they got rid of the minutia, they would have MORE ROOM for the live sports.

When I said "minor league" I meant the Busch series. To the person who said that "if it's minor league, why do so many Cup drivers drive in it." 1. So they can get a feel for the track for Sunday, and 2. They really love racing. But you know that if push came to shove, they'd only race in Nextel Cup if they had to make a choice. If it's not minor league, than Why don't all the Busch Drivers choose to race in Nextel Cup? Because the series aren't interchangeable. One is the minor league for the other.

Anyway, why is it that whenever someone defends ESPN, they work there? John, I think this is incredibly short-sighted of you. You assume, that because I defend ESPN,(I too work in TV, but in news, not sports), that I work there. So you're basically saying that unless someone agrees with you, they must work for ESPN. That's pretty ridiculous and insulting considering my 15 years experience in this field.

For the person who said NASCAR is a lifestyle, I'm sorry but that is just ridiculous. It's a sport. Yes, not the same as "stick and ball" sports, but it's not a lifestyle. You don't make a living doing it. You go there, you watch it, you go home. Whether that's for the Cup race or the entire weekend, it's not a lifestyle. Your family, your career, those are your lifestyle. NASCAR is a getaway for the two weekends they come to your neck of the woods every year, if your track is lucky to get two Cup races every year. I go away for a month every year on vacation. Again, not a lifestyle, vacation. If you seriously consider NASCAR a lifestyle, than you need to reconsider your priorities.

Anyway, that all being said, the one problem with this race is that a lot of people don't get ESPN2HD. And NASCAR is just way too good on HD for me to watch it on anything else. Fortunately, ESPN2HD was added in my area of Maryland in December, so I'm in luck today. That's the real issue.

As far as ESPN breaking off of footage for the NFL, I'm 99.9% sure that ESPN has that written in to their NFL contract. And with the NFL being the biggest of boys on the block, you can be sure that they have the leverage to insist that they're the priority.

You must not be a NASCAR fan. That is easy to see. You may be right NASCAR being a lifestyle might be pushing it. But what other sport do the fans go for 2 or 3 days. Some go for the NCTS, NBS and Cup races if possible. The fans are passionate. Have you ever been to a race? It gets in you, in your blood. And it's not just NASCAR it's racing period. Someday ESPN will catch up to Speed and FOX and realize all this. Until then we are stuck with their sub par broadcasting.

I went to the race at Pocono, and yes it was very cool. Where do people do sports for a weekend??? How about college football? People show up in their Winnebagos for the weekend. I do a baseball weekend every year and go to a park I've never been to and spend a weekend and do the entire series. I don't think it's unique to just NASCAR.

However, NASCAR has one thing unique to it that no other sport has. It only shows up once or twice a year. That's why you make a weekend out of it. In the NFL, if you have season tickets, you go to 8-12 games per year with preseason adn playoffs. You're not going to go for the entire weekend for 10 weeks straight. However, college football does do this. And that's 5-6 times a year for big schools. That's even more of a commitment than NASCAR, and the college fans do it all the time.

Let's be fair. This an opinion blog, and always will be. All opinions are welcome, but that does not mean they make sense to all of us.

Your continuing efforts to lump NASCAR with other sports is off-base, and that is what I said in my ealier post. Take four days off, get an RV, go to a race. You will never be the same, and all these whiners about fights and drunks will be put in their place in your mind. You may come away with new friends for life.

My ESPN reference was in response to the fact that they usually do not take the time to get a blue name, and use the anonymous comment tag for all they can get. You should see the email I get from the ESPN.com server!

If you don't think NASCAR fans embrace the sport, I would point you to the infieldparking.com or rowdy.com sites. That might be an education.

Just to be clear, nothing here is insulting or anything of that nature. Its easy to make things personal, and hard to stay on the topic. That is the reason I do not use the names of anyone in the business except the on-air talent.

No one expected these issues this season, but they certainly have presented themselves. We will continue to bring them up, and offer one commentary. Then, anyone can offer their opinion without fear of obscenity or personal ridicule. Thanks.

For many fans NASCAR is a lifestyle (I am not one) and just because you think they need to adjust their "priorities" does not mean that it's not a lifestyle for them. Check out the infield of any race and you will find out how many make multiple trips every year to catch races. It's not unusual for fans to make a dozen races a year. Ask any marketing or advertising person about the brand loyalty NASCAR fans show.

The brand loyalty has always been something that confuses me. Shouldn't people like the products they buy rather than buy products because they're on a car? I don't see that as loyalty, I see it as stupidity. I hate Bud, I like Jr. I shouldn't drink Bud because I like Jr. I also drive a Jeep, which isn't made by Chevy.

I was at the race in Dover this year. It was fantastic. For whatever it's worth, there weren't any fights. Nothing like an Eagles/Cowboys game in Philly. NASCAR fans are much more civil. It was a great experience until we left. Some guy threw stuff at my dad's car because we drove a Toyota and not an "American made" car. Hilarious because the Camry's are made here in North America, and my dad worked for GM for 25 years before getting hosed by the company. I think if anything, the only problem with a NASCAR weekend is there are always a few bad apples who spend the entire weekend drunk off their arse. But then again, isn't that true of all major sports?

And to the guy who wrote about the 15 year old in Little League. You're spot on. I've been saying for years that some of these teams from the Far East send kids that are older. How many times do you hear them talk about that new b-ball player Yi Jianlin and they say, "We're not quite sure how old he is." Ridiculous.

Little League represents everything that is right with sports today. Kids playing simply for the love of the game. Some of those kids are getting their one chance to be in the spotlight in their life. Hey, why not right? I'd much prefer to watch these kids play for the love of the game, than watch a sport where the most important thing a player(driver) will do all day is make sure he gets all of his sponsors' names in when he gives his post-race interview. Once every year, ESPN shows sports in all of its innocence via the LLWS. ESPN is doing the right thing here by leaving these kids on ESPN and not bumping them.

Quit complaining about ESPN. It's quite an improvement over the FOX and SPEED sideshow we've had to deal with for far too long.

As far as ESPN breaking off of footage for the NFL, I'm 99.9% sure that ESPN has that written in to their NFL contract.

Yes, the contract reads: "In the event that a player or other individual associated with the National Football League is accused of, pleads guilty to, or is convicted of a felony, ESPN shall immediately cease programming on all of its channels and carry the news of said criminal activity."

Did I miss something. I usually watch Nascar Now, thinking that maybe there would be some news that may of be of interest to me. This week Little Baseball Playoffs is on in the timeframe that Nascar Now usually is on. Have they changed the time, or have they just not had the show on so far this week? Thank you